Month: January 2017

I found this table and chairs at my local thrift shop. Once I saw it I knew I could make it beautiful again and find it a new home once I was done with it. The first thing I did was buy CitriStrip paint stripper. I had heard some awful stories about different (strong & dangerous) paint strippers and I wanted to try to use something that I didn’t have horrible fumes. CitriStrip was wonderful to use and I would definitely use it again. I bought it at my local Lowes for about $12. It took about three coats and scraping to get all the paint off. This table had SO many layers of yucky paint on it. Once the paint was off I also used mineral spirits and medium-grit steel wool to clean up what was left on it, buffing it out in a circular motion.

Once the table top was all clean, I started my sanding. I went in my usual pattern (80-220-400-600). I didn’t worry about the pedestal or the chairs because I was going to use some paint that I had in my craft area from another project. I used the Valspar Furniture Paint in Sherwin Williams’ Salt Marshes. This paint was great for two reasons: its made to use on furniture and it leaves no brush strokes.

Back to the table top: I wanted to stain the top to match the color of the rushed seats and ended up choosing the color Early American from Minwax. I covered the top with three coats and then used my 320-grit sanding block to even it out. Lastly, I used my Miss Mustard Seed’s Antiquing Wax to give the top more of a distressed look. I love the finish that the wax leaves once its buffed out. It provides a nice smooth sheen and not anything that is super shiny like most polyurethanes.

Above you can see the before and after photos. Let me know if you have any questions about any of the products I used, I’d be happy to answer them!